Ground-gripping device for shoes



llg. 30, 1932. W. A BARDEN 1,874,155

GROUND GRIPPING DEVICE FOR SHOES Filed July l0, 1951 55 desi UNITED f.STATES ALFRED '-BARDEN. oF NEW YORK, N. Y.

cantan-sannita DEVICE Fon i sHoEs 1.@ ff A j p "Application filed July10,

. invention hasto do with ground-grip- Eping devices for shoes. Thoughparticularly designed -for use by golf players, it may, of

'coursafbeutiliz'ed wherever it is necessary or i .Y j It i nbroadly oldin the art to provide ground-gripping devices for shoes, these havinglong beenused in the form of ice-Creepers, l110i golf-cleats, and thelike. p I make no claim,

gtherefore, to the broad idea of such invention, but only to theimprovement which I have added to the art and which-will now I bedescribed in connection with the drawing forming part of thisdisclosure.

v scribes, one physical embodiment of my invention, and that best nowknown to me, which disclosure, however, is subyectto such variations andadaptations as are within the .range of mechanical skill, withoutdeparting .25 from the principle ofthe invention here in`- volved. f v iGolf shoes are` usually provided with Y ground-gripping means, such aslstuds, cleats,

- rubber made up in various forms and de- .'signs, and other devices, toensure steady t footing. Many of these expedients are of specialconstruction and expensive, and, furthermore. do not contemplate, as inthe instant case, the utilization of an ordinary, well-fitted, andcomfortable shoe for game purposes. n

The present development permits the adaptat-ion, for` game purposes, ofany shoe, and

ing shoe may be conveniently and quickly converted into a game shoe, andas readilyre-` 0 on substantially the line l2 2 of Figure 1, but

'to equip 4shoes with ground-gripv 'provides means whereby the ordinarywalk-y 1931. ASerial N0. 549,984.

on an enlarged scale,'with my invention ap'- plied thereto. Y

'.'Figure 3 is a perspective view looking at the top of my attachment,detached from the shoe.

Referring to the drawing, in which like characters indicate likel partsin the several views, A' indicates any slice, having a sole B. to whichshoe my invention may be applied. The device consists of a plurality ofplates. two being here shown, each provided with ground-gripping studsor equivalent ele- 'ments, and'each having sole-engaging means.

The plates willbe contoured and shaped to it, with reasonable snugness,the bottom of, the shoe, and the sole-engaging means will be 'adaptedVto clamp the edges of the sole of ran ordinary shoe.'

` This-disclosurev showstwo plates 10 and l1, the plate 10 beingdisposed at 'the forward part of the sole and having the clips 12 toengage the sole B. Plate -10 is provided Iwith suitable 'ground-engagingmeans, as, Lfor example, studs 13, although it will'be understood thatany well-known equivalents `for the studs 13 may be used, such ascleats, buttons, elastic protuberances, and the like. Plate 11 will besimilarly equipped with sole-engaging clips 1.4 and studs, sothat theground-engaging surface of the shoe solewill be well-provided withgripping instrumentalities. i

It will beobserved, however, that plates Y 10 and 11 are so disposedrelative to veach other (and this should be observed if more than twoplates are employed), that they do not, when applied,`interfere withthenormal iiexibility of the shoe sole B. As here shown, the spacebetween'tlie plates 10 and 111 lines substantially beneath the ball ofthe foot, where the oints between the foot bones and the toes occur, sothat no interference with their e'xing can take place. arrangement of aplurality of plates, leaves the shoe, shoe sole, and the foot free tomove or flex normally, without the binding or cramping effect of asingle plate covering the entire sole. i Y f In the present disclosureit will be noted that the clips 12jon plate.'10 and the clips Such an 14on plate 11 are located substantially atv 12 tend to hug the soleof theshoe tigthly,

and can only be removedfrom theshoe" by' releasing and moving themawayfrom each other so as to shift the' front plate'o'fi' Afrom the toeof the shoe andthe rear plate 11v`eff from the shank of the"'slioe.v

In order" that the plates 10` and .11 vmaybe end, asecondgroundgrippingplate having sole engaging means adjacent its rear end, `sa-id platesbeing-adaptedto `be disposed reheld in their adjusted positions, thereis pro- 1 videdconne'cting means'between .the plates,

, and, preferably, Lprovide elastic connecting means which will tend toydraw the:plates together, `and, furthermore, provision is .made foradpisting this connecting meansso' v. as to put it under more orf-lesstension-as the ..needsi of the situationmay require.A

wrllhe connecting meansishereshown'as a theother end of the strip beingsecured in I' any, suitablefnianner'to .the rear plate, but,

y preferably, by uan adjustable holdind'fmeans,

as, for example, the clamp member 1 ,which y l.is hereshownasapivoted-pla'te 'mounted in lugs '18 carriedby the plater11 and provided.witha serratediedge to engage the connect Y n tapered shank portion andan Aintermediate .portion of maximum Width, -saidattachm'ent ing lstrip15.

o With thisl arrangeinent,it willbeseen that whentherconnectingstrip 15isdrawn ,taut :anch-when it is' anelastic strip, put under A.tensionand. locked bythe clip; 17, the plates willobedrawn Vtoward each otherand held snugly so that theirvaccidental displacement is prevented.

Not oniy .does the strip .15 serve as ak teni-sioning means to holditheplates inposition,

but it may be made of sufficient width to Vact .also as eafrictionground-engagingsurface l .which will Amaterially? help ingivingafirm gripialong the central line of the: shoe. Being Lflexible, it"willinot, ofcourse, interfere in any way with the flexing of the shoesole be- V,tween the plates.

With the construction ,shown,..the strip 15, if damaged or worn,

ica

:may be readily renewed Ibyv looseningthe clip f member 16, inserting anew strip, and again and provides a fiat-uninterrupted surface on Athatplate, with the adjustable clamp 17 at vthe rear -endofthe Arear plate11, where, as

,1 shown in `Figure 2, the clamp 17v is held Gli against the arch of theshoe shank and clear of the ground line, so that there can be nointerference or tripping effect resulting from the clamp17. Y

lt will be understood that such changes and adaptations as are withinthe range of inechanical skill may be made; in the structure here shownand still be'fwitli-inl theffpurview of my invention.

I claim A Y 1. An# anti-slipping attachment for use `with a shoev sole,having a tapered toe and )tapered sha'i'ik vportion and an intermediateportion of .maximum width, said attachment comprising a ground-grippingplate having sole enga-ging means adjacent-its forward v`spectivelyforwardly andrearwardlynof said intermediate portion of maximum width ofsaidshoe sole and said 'sole' engaging means .beingfadapted tojengagerespectively said tapered toe `and tapered shank 4portionsof said shoesolefand aground-engagingconv nectingstrip oflresilient frictionalmaterial connecting and underlying portions; of' said plates an'dtendingto draw them toward each other'todraw said sole engaging'means firmlyinto sole engaging position on said/tapered:- toe and taperedshank-portions of-f'sadfshoe 95 sole', said connectingstrip beingadaptedto functionasfan anti-.slipping ineansin addition tosaid-.ground.gripping plates.

2. An anti-slipping attachmeiit'for inse^ with a shoe solehavingatapered tefand comprising a pair ofv ground gripping plates.provided -with a pair-of clipsdisposedfat'thef -iclipsbeing adapted toengage theta'peredtoe and tapered shank portions of said shoe solerespectively,1one fof said plates being'dispsed forwardly yof said,intermediate (portion: "of: saidy shoe sole, andthe other ofsaidfplatesbeno ing disposedY rearwardly of saidintermediate portion,and a ground engaging connecting strip of frictional material spanningsaid intermediate portion of said shoefsole, connect# ing and underlyingsaid plates and'tending 115 to draw them toward each Othertdwedge saidpairs of clips onto said tapered toe: and shank portions respectively,said connecting vstrip Vbeing adapted to function as"anaiiti:A

Slipping means in additiona Sa-ia 'eroina 12o 'gppng plates. Y Y 3. -Ananti-slipping attachment for :use

`with ashoe sole` having a vtapered toe and tapered shank portion andanintermediate" portion of maximum width,-said attachment comprising apairof ground grinning plates provided lwith apaii of clips disposed at thev front and rear ends thereofrespectively/,said

clips-being adapted toengagethe tapered toe and tapered shank portionsof said shoe sole 13( portions respectively, said connecting strip'being adapted to function as an anti-slipping means in addition to saidgro-und gripping plates, and means for iixedly attaching said strip toone of said plates and adjustably attaching said strip to said otherplate.

4. In an anti-slipping attachment for shoe soles, the combination of twoground-gripping plates, eaoh provided with a pair of clips at oppositeends to engage respectively the tapered toe and tapered shank portionsof a shoe sole, a rubber connecting strip secured at one end to the toeengaging plate, and an adjustable clasp on the shank engaging plate toadjustably engage the other end of said rubber connecting strip, saidrstrip underlying portions of said ground-gripping plates and tending todraw them toward each other to wedge said pairs of clips onto saidtapered toe and shank portions respectively,

said adjustable clasp being disposed at the rear of the shank engagingplate and lying within the arch of the shank and out of normal loadsupporting engagement with the ground.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set i my hand. v v

WILLIAM A. BARDEN.

one of said plates being disposed*

